Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols Song by Song Thread

Absolutely they could play (at least if we're talking OG Pistols), and I'm glad they're finally starting to get their due.

 

Yes, and since the very beginning. I love their first demos recorded by Chris Spedding. They almost sound like a pub rock band, those sessions remind me of Eddie And The Hot Rods. Glen's bass are awesome.

I'd love to have some Never Mind The Bollocks songs, with that production quality, those guitars, drums and vocals, with the bass lines from the demos. Further on this thread I might come up with examples since Holidays were never demoed with Glen.

 

Anyone who trots out that old "They couldn't play!" argument is just being willfully ignorant at this point. Cook, Jones, and Matlock are all excellent, distinctive players in my opinion.

 

"Holidays" is probably my favorite track by the Pistols. Although "Anarchy" and "God Save the Queen" are more iconic, emblematic, and visceral, "Holidays" feels more complex and mature. If I recall correctly, the famous critic Greil Marcus (in the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll) described "Holidays" as the apex of punk.

 

I just remembered that the famous Rebellion Festival in England (PiL are playing this year by the way) was originally named “Holidays In The Sun”.

 

Feels a bit weird starting with Holidays, I thought you might cover the singles & B-sides first and then do the rest of the album after, but no worries.

At the time, 'Holidays In The City' (as it was mockingly dubbed) was generally (and correctly) considered to be the weakest of the 4 singles, clearly suffering from Matlock's non-involvement. But when the album was released a week or so later, it worked much more effectivly as an opening song. Statement of intent.

They got quite a bit of flak at the time for putting all 4 singles on the album, but it's hard to imagine the album without them...besides, they didn't really have any other songs

 

I probably cannot over estimate the importance and impact this album has had on me. Purchased upon release, I was in the 4th grade - actually, not purchased my parents wouldn't let me buy it. But I friend gave it to me for my birthday (which happens to be today so there you go).

It really was controversial at the time, simply owning the album as a kid.

I was transfixed and awestruck from the opening jackboots to the ending fart.

Really one of the best openings for an album - the oncoming jackboot stomping clearly signaled something. Is coming. Probably with bad intentions.

One of my favorite aspects of this song, is Johnny's near manic fits at the end - still grabs me - Johnny attacks the whole album like a man possessed. Full of piss and vinegar.

 

Happy birthday

 

Another thought about Holidays (and the album in general): at the age of 10 there was much about it lyrically that I didn't understand. At all.

But I understood the emotion. Johnny was pissed off. Really pissed off. Sneering, spitting, snarling mad.

It was a giant two fisted bird flip to the world at large and THAT is what I really related to.

(In addition to the sound of it, of course - always loved Steve's thick tone and Cook's thwack drum sound)

 

I bought the album the day it was released at Listen in Glasgow, I remember they had a big pile of them on the floor behind the counter.

I got the 11 track version with the 7", my friend who was with me for some reason bought it at the store across the street, Bloggs, who were actually owned by the same guy who owned Listen and his was the 12 track with a blank rear sleeve!

 

Yes! When 14 in Brazil, I barely had any knowledge in English language and Johnny's accent and yel didn't help. Also the record never had a lyric sheet. I got the feeling of the song and suffered its impact but only understood the lyrics many years later.

 

re. "Holidays...": those goose-stepping boots marching out the rhythm before Paul Cook comes in still legitimately thrills me after all of these years; I bought the Bollocks album in 1978 in Honolulu at a semi-swank record store--i was a junior in high school--I'd been hipped to the Pistols courtesy of a grimy cassette my friend in Canada sent me a few months earlier. Nothing was ever the same after that.
And yes--very hopefully someday the old saw of "they couldn't play their instruments, it was all about the clothes" will evaporate forever into the ether.
other random thoughts: Greil Marcus wrote compellingly about the Pistols in both his review of their final Winterland gig in SF, and in his great book "Lipstick Traces".
AND looking forward to this chain making it's way to Bodies. not far off.

 

Bought Spunk first, then Bollocks, on day of release. I still prefer the former - there's a rawness that the official album lacks. Plus, punk was such a rapid musical starburst. that by the time NMTB finally came out, it felt rather 'old hat'; not to mention the rip-off cynicism of including all four singles.

Holidays starts like a bastardised melange of Rock & Roll Pt2 & In The City; until Rotten barks "cheap holidays in other people's misery", then we're catapulted into an altogether different musical universe - a political un-anthem, that whips up a tightly wound storm. It's utterly magnificent (and not on Spunk, of course); nestled incongruously in the UK Top Ten, like the Black Death at a Tupperware Party.

 

Holidays is an underrated gem; not as famous as some other songs on the album, but its power and acerbic lyrics are prime reasons why punk was so important and remains relevant. I should also point other readers of this thread to

and

 

Holidays in the Sun

I'll echo others who like the production on this. It's got a great mix and a sound that somehow sounds smooth, while also retaining the raw sound of punk.

The drummer delivers here. He stays strong in the pocket when he needs to, and puts in some good fills and tonal changes.

Lyrically, I'm guessing this is about the takeover of the UK government by the Conservatives? Johnny seems to be saying they're using the "red scare" to manipulate the populace. Maybe our UK folks can chime in, because I'm no expert on UK history.

Oh, and the opening guitar riff is simple and killer.

Great opener.

 

I only recently bought this album around 1 to 2 years ago. I had heard so many things about it over the years. I never got around to it, but glad I did.

Some thoughts as a relative “newcomer “ to this record, starting with Holidays In The Sun.

What an opening track. It grabs by the throat and doesn’t let go. I love the passionate singing on this.

I always smile at the Berlin Wall lyric. I guess he really wants to go over that wall. While the lyrics may seem dated now, I imagine it sounded much darker on first listen. Heck it still does with “cheap holiday in other people’s misery”. I can also remember when that wall came down (but that was still years away when this song first hit).

The guitar just hums along.

I also am really amazed how clear the record sounds. I mean compare this to the “lush” 70s sounds of so many other records at the time.

Overall this song kicks down the door.

I also smile because the reason chant sounds a little like pizza to me. I know, strange.

An earthquake beginning for sure.

 

At that time, 1977, the government were Labour, the Conservatives were not the government until 1979. We're not really supposed to discuss politics so I'll leave it at that.

Re: Holidays In The Sun, a great opening and probably one of my favourite tracks although for me this album is all killer no filler.

 

What if we swapped the 4 singles for the b-sides I Wanna Be Me, Satellite and Did You No Wrong? You'd had 11 fantastic songs anyway and a great record indeed. Add a cover, No Fun, Stepping Stone or No Lip if we want to to have 12 songs. It would be great.

 

THIS!

Does anyone know how they got the jackboot sound for the opening? Was it a sample or did they record it themselves?

 

Bought the single, which still managed to cause controversy because of the picture sleeve, which was quickly withdrawn. A couple of weeks later bought the album, I was 14.



Powerful song and great way to start the album, there was far less talk about any similarity to In The City, which I'd bought 5 months earlier, but plenty regarding the album containing 4 singles.

 

I'm glad they put the singles on the album. for everyone else discovering the album after it came out. it makes a solid album.

 

Me too.

 

Before we begin today’s song, let’s adhere to forum rules and keep politics out of this as much as we can.
Bodies:

We come to Bodies, written about the shock of abortion, and inspired by a visit from a mentally ill fan who had recently escaped an asylum and came to John’s door with an aborted fetus in a plastic bag. This song is also notable for being the only track to feature Sid on bass, although he is mixed low and overdubbed by Steve. Was this before or after Sid’s hospitalization for hepatitis? Anyway, although this song has often been interpreted as anti abortion, John has said he never meant for it to be for or against abortion, merely meant to convey the pain and passion of both sides of the issue. Now onto the song.
The song begins with a nasty little riff backed by Paul’s pounding drums, before the song is kicked off at :16, with John essentially telling the story of how this song came to be, and he is filled with such disgust and contempt at her nonchalance towards aborting her child-to-be. I don’t want to bring politics into this or cause any real debate, if simply because I want this thread to live, but man, you really hear this venom in John’s vocals, moreso than even the political songs here, to the point that these end up being among his more profane lyrics with the Pistols, and I think it works here; abortion is a serious topic, it holds a serious gravity to it, and no matter your feelings, it is not something to consider lightly, and that passion can and does cause strong emotions within people. Interesting especially since even though John obviously has no qualms with using coarse language in his day to day life, you don’t see a lot of it in his lyrics, and while I generally am not bothered by profanity, I do think you should be smart about how you use it in songs.
This song is awesome, full of fire and anger, and so blunt, so firm, I love this song, one of my favorites on the album.

 

I'll come back for more later but now I'd like to register two things.

First, Bodies was the first song oppening the only Sex Pistols show I attended, in São Paulo, November 29th, 1996. What a way to open a gig.

Second, what a way to follow Holidays In The Sun. In the very first pressings of this record, Liar was the second song. I'm glad they decided for Bodies in the most common regular 12 songs version.

 

Same here, near Boston in August of the same year. Stunning show.

I seem to recall that the four members were unanimous in choosing that as the opening song.